Road-heavy start shouldn't disguise huge opportunity for under-pressure Warriors

The Golden State Warriors will enter next season under a significant degree of pressure, having failed to make the playoffs in 2024 for just the third time in the last dozen years.

Beyond that the Warriors also lost franchise legend Klay Thompson in free agency, while their ambitions to trade for another All-Star and provide greater support to Stephen Curry has fallen flat this offseason.

A road-heavy opening to the season shouldn't hide the fact the Golden State Warriors have a huge opportunity to start in positive fashion

The microscope will be on Golden State to start the season -- that's part and parcel of being the most successful team in recent memory and still owning one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

So what jumps out from their first 10 games? Most will rightly look at the fact seven of them come on the road, potentially leading to a collective groan of pessimism on how the Warriors may start next season.

But a deeper look at the opponents suggests Golden State have a huge opportunity to set the tone, make a strong start, and ease any potential tension among the fanbase. For starters, nothing less than two victories should be expected in Portland and Utah, both of who are widely tipped by analysts to finish 14 and 15th in the Western Conference.

The Warriors will then head home to face the New Orleans Pelicans in back-to-back games, before a meeting with the revamped L.A. Clippers. They're all games that could foreseeably go either way, but there's little doubt Golden State should be hoping to capture at least two wins.

The Houston Rockets should be an improved team again particularly at home, but the Warriors will go in with the confidence of having won 13-straight regular season games in the currently one-sided rivalry. A trip to Washington to see Jordan Poole and the Wizards should present another victory, leaving Golden State with the potential of starting the season with at least five wins through their first seven games.

Games in Boston, Cleveland and Oklahoma City will be far more challenging, yet will also present early litmus tests for the Warriors to see where they're at amongst the best in the league. Prove competitive in each, perhaps win one or two, and Golden State can remain above .500 with hope of what's to come.

It's a far more optimistic schedule than what may be first realised, particularly given the Warriors had an impressive 25-16 road record last season. However by the same token, optimism brings expectation, and expectation can lead to more public pressure and angst if the franchise fails to deliver on this opportunity.